ComplaintsforBoat and Motor Superstores

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Boat and Motor Superstore misrepresented the condition of a bot and mislead me into buying it under false pretenses. The company presented a boat for sale as a "Demo" when in fact, the boat had previously been sold, registered and even returned by the previous owner due to manufacturing errors. This was discovered months after the purchase, and only by coincidence when configuring the electronics. The stored failed to present detailed maintenance / repair history even after multiple requests. The store has indicated that they will not address any requests for resolution / concession and that any issues should be performed under the warranty. Had I been aware of these issues prior to the purchase, I would have not completed the purchase. This was a $235,000 buy! I am a 100% Service Disabled Veteran, both for physical and mental (stress, anxiety, depression) conditions. This situation is making matters worse. I intend on filing a Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act complaint as a protected class, Disabled Veteran.

  Business response

  04/28/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/03/08) */ The BBB took this response verbally The customer is taking this legally so we cannot respond further Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/03/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Their response does not address the issue at hand. We are considering legal action, and have secured legal counsel but we are hopeful this can be resolved outside the courts. The business must remedy their action.... if not, the message must get out of the kind of business they are so others can be warned. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/03/10) */ **** has handled this action legally way before this complaint was made. I cannot discuss any information about this because of what he has choose to do. If there are problems with the boat then why has he decided to list it for thousands more than he has paid for it, also ad does not explain any problems with or about boat? **************************************************** Consumer Response /* (4200, 13, 2022/03/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I am a 100% disabled veteran under VA treatment for anxiety, depression and PTSD. Dealing with the business was too stressful, so I hired a lawyer to deal with the business and to seek resolution. They never did. I had to hire a lawyer to even get the maintenance history of the boat. This does not constitute legal action. I am trading my boat. The dealer secured a broker who charges a commission. I do not control their pricing. I requested I get what I paid for, less taxes, fees, or improvements, over $15,000 LOSS over what I paid. The price of the boat for sale is irrelevant to this case. The boat is been sold as USED, Pre-owned. The dealership continues to state there is no problem with the boat and that any issues will be covered under warranty. This case is simple: The dealership misled me into believing this was a DEMO boat, when in fact, it was used, pre-registered, and with previous issues. If I had known the boat was pre-registered and with issues, I would have never purchased the boat! I am seeking compensation for the difference in value of a new vs a pre-owned boat based on what I paid.

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a new 2021 Key West Boat and warranty issues have arisen with broken trim tab, thus causing fiberglass damage as well. Key West the manufacturer nor Boat and Motor Superstore will take responsibility (after Dakota said it was a bad weld when I dropped the boat off). BMSS says it is corrosion due to electrolysis, but Dunedin Marina, 2 separate mechanism and a Dive company confirm that there is no electrolysis in the water and is is due to improper grounding from the electronics that BMSS installed. I have asked to have it checked and put in writing that everything was done properly and they have refused. I have spoken to Dakota (service manager) who flat out denies any wrong doing. I tried to speak with Kyle (owner) and have had my calls go un-returned. Dakota confirmed that Kyle is not willing to help. Please see attached document for full details. I have been without my boat for 2 months, did not receive and answers for over a month. All I want is my boat repaired so that I may continue to make memories with my 2 sons before it's too late.

  Business response

  02/28/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/03) */ The situation with Mr. ********'s Kw is unfortunate. A boat that is stored in the saltwater for an entire year can and will be damaged due to the corrosive enviroment. We as a dealership cannot pass judgement as to what is and is not covered under the boat or part manufacturers warranty. We do not write the warranties for these items. We are middle men, we submit the warranty claims and fight for our customer but cannot control a denial. Upon Mr. ********'s Trim tab denial we provided him with a repair estimate that is discounted well below retail pricing to help our cusotmer as much as possible. Attached is the signed work order by Mr. ******** stating our warranty disclaimers, as well as a copy of both Key West Boats and Lenco Trim Tabs denial of warranty coverage. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/02/04) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I understand that the boat is stored in wet slip in a Marina. The boat was actually out if the water for several weeks while I added accessories to the boat from Boat and Motor Superstore. The issue arose from the boat not being properly grounded. I have extensive documentation stating there is not electrolysis in the slip or near my slip in the marina. After agreeing to pay, (at a rate of $129 an hour, when the form they submitted to the BBB says $85 an hour. I was never offered that $85 an hour courtesy rate, please see signed repair order at $129- see attached) The situation was further escalated by the additional charges seeming every time I spoke to Boat and Motor. There were several "I forgot to add that last time" comments made by the service manager. The problem was finally pushed over the top when I reached out to you, the BBB, to help me the consumer, the "owner" Kyle sent me an email stating because I reached out to the BBB he refuses to service my boat and I need to come pick it up. (This is after I signed off agreeing to pay their rates and parts-see attached signed and dated repair order)When I did pick up my boat there was a part that was missing. When inquiring where the part was the service manager once again said it wasn't there, and the reason it wasn't on the repair order for the past two months was once again because "he forgot to add it" They claim they never saw the part. This seems like a VERY unethical ownership and management team. I am respectfully requesting that the BBB put out an alert for all consumers to be aware. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/02/08) */ Mr. ******** agreed to pick his boat up, in fact he had another mechanic pick it up for him. Lenco agreed to only provide Mr. ******** with replacement trim tab plates, no other parts or labor. The part that is "missing" Mr. ******** knew was missing as he stated to my service advisor it ripped off while he was running the boat. The pictures taken at the time he dropped his boat off documents this. Mr. ******** was not offered $85.00 an hour because that is not one of our posted labor rates that is Key West's labor rate. If Mr. ******** would like to reach out to Key West and have them perform the repair Im sure they would offer there labor rate. Our posted labor rate is $159.00 per hour it is posted electronically in the service office as well as on paper on the service counter. In hopes of helping our cusotmer we offered to discount the rate to $129.00 per hour which would have been a savings of $127.50. No payment was taken from Mr. ********. At this point I beleive Mr. ******** is just slandering Boat and Motor in hopes to use BBB as a platform for his own agenda of trying to blemish a reputable local bursiness. I believe this issue was resolved when Mr. ******** had his boat picked up from our property. Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/02/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) There is several things I would like to express on this rebuttal of Boat and Motor Superstores response: First I would like to stick strictly to the facts of the situation. The missing part for my boat did not come up until I was told to remove my boat and I had the picked it up. Fact is the part is now missing and was NEVER brought up until I inquired that day to where is the missing part. Boat and Motor claim it was never there, but failed in nearly 2 months of having my boat, (once again a less than 1 year old boat brand new from them) to mention the missing part. When being directly asked why, if it was I fact missing from day one, why did you never mention it, the response received from ownership/management was "oops I guess we misquoted it". Second fact is that the $85 an hour labor rate is what Boat and Motor Superstore charges Key West for warranty work. Not what Key West charges to repair boats in South Carolina. In every case of warranty work Boat and Motor Superstore charges the $85 per hour labor rate and submits a bill to Key West in which case they are paid. This is just another example of the deceptive practices that seem to be occurring daily at the direction of ownership/ management. I am still extremely dissatisfied with the entire experience at Boat and Motor Superstore . After speaking with Key West as a manufacturer they too are disappointed in the lack of customer service from one of their dealers. I would like the example of my treatment and lack of professionalism from Boat and Motor Superstore to serve as a cautionary fact for all consumers looking to do business there. This issue is still not resolved and Boat and Motor Superstore has made it abundantly clear they have no intention or care to try to rectify the situation. Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2022/02/14) */ Key West's labor rate of $85.00 dollars an hour is what Key West pays there dealers to perform "warranty" repairs. That is there rate that they assign to dealers, dealers do not make there own warranty labor rate. The repair of your trim tabs is not a warranty claim. It was clearly denied. As to the missing part, it sounds like your referring to the fact that Lenco provided you with replacement trim tabs but did not give you the actuators? I do not have control over which parts you were provided. You can see on the claim my dealership requested trim tabs and actuators. Lenco only gave you the trim tabs. Once again it seems Mr. ******** is trying to place blame with the wrong company and needs to be addressing his concerns with Lenco. Boat and Motor is no longer involved with this situation. On my phone call last week with Key West, they confirmed they are helping Mr. ********. No money was exchanged for repairs, and Mr. ******** removed his boat and hired another mechanic to complete his desired repairs. Boat and Motor will not move on our position. Again, we do not write or assume responsbility for any warranties. We are simply middle men. We submit the customer complaint and wait for the manufacturers response. We did everything we could to help Mr. ********. Consumer Response /* (4200, 15, 2022/02/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) When I purchased my Boat less than a year ago, Boat and Motor Superstore represented themselves as the "Largest Key West dealer in the world" and have the most extensive service shop "anywhere". Their response to this complaint is shocking to say the least. To claim that they are now just a "middle man" is insulting to all consumers looking to do business there either in a sales or service capacity. If you read through the correspondence with the BBB Boat and Motor Superstore has contradicted themselves on multiple occasions, which goes back to all consumers should be wary when dealing with them. I have no resolve to my issue, and am formally requesting that this response be made public in the best Interest of all consumers looking to potentially do business with Boat and Motor Superstore.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩